Mystic Aquarium’s African penguin chick interactive webcam is back. Over the past two years, thousands of people from around the world have watched Mystic Aquarium’s penguin chicks grow into full fledgling penguins via the live Web cam at mysticaquarium.org. Starting today, people can watch two new chicks grow, as well as get weekly video updates and submit questions to penguin trainers.

The webcam has been hugely popular as it provides the public the unique opportunity to witness chicks’ fascinating developmental process. Viewers meet our trainers, get up-close views of the chicks, hear firsthand about their progress and get a behind-the-scenes look at the Roger Tory Peterson Penguin Exhibit.

The “Weekly Bird Bit” video also returns this year. In these short videos, a penguin trainer will share insights on the chicks’ development and milestones, as well as answer two or three of viewers’ most interesting or commonly-asked questions. Visitors to the Web cam page can also watch a chick grow before their eyes in a photo slideshow.

Today, the chicks are 60 and 46 days old. During the first 40 days, the little ones were unable to maintain their body heat, so they would seek warmth under their parents. Now weaning (a process that starts around day #50), people can observe the aquarium’s trainers teaching the chicks to feed from them.

At 75 to 100 days of age, the chicks will be fully fledged. Their soft down will be replaced with juvenile plumage, and they will be ready to fend for themselves. The fledglings will join the 28 adult African penguins on exhibit at the aquarium.

The cam will be on daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with occasional breaks when the chicks are removed from the room.

This release was published on March 21, 2011.

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